Fragmented Memories
by RiverStorm16
Summary: What if the story of Until Dawn went a little differently? What if there were other paths to take? What if two people that were originally just friends suddenly became lovers? This is a story about Chris and Josh and the many different paths that their relationship can lead to.
1. Chapter 1

**PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTE BEFORE READING THE STORY!**

 **I know author's notes can be a bit boring but this one is important to how I am going to be telling the story. I love the concept of the butterfly affect in Until Dawn and I started to get an idea to do that same concept in my story. So meaning at certain parts of the story I will be offering a choice at the end of the chapter and it is up to you, the readers, to decide what choice will be made and played out. You can vote by leaving a review for the chapter I am giving the choice in. Note that some of the choices will have quick endings to them while others will have more branching paths to them. There is also the possibility that your choices will lead to a character death just like the game so choose carefully. I will post the other option that had less votes in time after I have played out the first choice. I should also say that this is going to be a Chris x Josh if that wasn't obvious in the summary, meaning I am focusing solely on those two. Because in all honesty I find them to be the most interesting of characters and I feel Josh doesn't get enough love. I am also marked this story as mature because there will be sexual themes in it, well that and gore, but it's mostly for the sex portions. If those don't interest you I will place a warning at the beginning of the chapter so that you know to skip that section. There will not be any voting for choices right off the bat. There is going to be a few chapters to just start off with, but when a choice does come up I will make sure to mention it at the end of the chapter. I will give the readers a fair amount of time to vote before I continue the story. Anyways I'm done with my summery sorry it turned out so long. I hope everyone enjoys and I am looking forward to the choice you guys decide.**

Chapter 1

Chris lazily lounged on the couch, flipping through the channels in an attempt to find something halfway decent to watch. His mind kept wondering back to Josh, despite his best efforts to distract himself. Ever since they had come back from the mountain cabin a few months ago things had been tense to say the least. Josh took his sisters' disappearance pretty hard and had ended up shutting himself off from everyone, including Chris. It hurt Chris to see Josh in so much pain and unable to help him at all. Chris had just stepped back to give his best friend some time. Then one day Chris finally got a knock on his door.

 _Flashback_

 _Josh didn't meet his eyes as he spoke softly, shifting from foot to foot nervously, "um hey…can I um come in?"_

 _Chris opened the door all the way and stood aside as Josh slowly shuffled past him. Without a word Chris led Josh up to his room and closed the door. It was silent for a moment, Chris being patient and waiting for his friend to speak._

" _Um I'm sorry… I kinda shut you out" Josh finally said._

" _I know it was hard, especially for you" Chris spoke cautiously._

" _I just… I feel like it was my fault for not being there when it happened" Josh replied._

" _You couldn't have known something like that would have happened."_

" _I…I can't believe they would do that."_

" _Honestly I can. I mean you know people like Mike and Emily and Jessica don't exactly have the most sparkling personalities."_

" _Yeah I know, it just wasn't fair to Hannah, she didn't do anything wrong."_

" _I know" Chris said, coming forward just in time to catch Josh as his legs gave out._

 _Chris held Josh tightly in his arms as he felt tears soak into his shirt. It was heartbreaking to see his lover like this. As Josh cried Chris couldn't help thinking of something that had been eating at him ever since that god awful night._

 _That night he and Josh had snuck away from the group to make love for the first time. The whole thing had been perfect and incredible even with Chris being a huge nervous wreck. Afterwards they lay with each other for a bit before deciding to go back downstairs. And it all went down hill from there._

 _Chris always had some guilt since he was the one that insisted to Josh he was ready. It was all so wonderful and it was ruined because of their so-called friends deciding to pull a prank on the one girl that didn't deserve it._

" _Chris?" Josh whispered finally after getting all his crying out._

" _Yes?" Chris asked softly._

" _C-can you kiss me?" Josh asked._

" _Josh now probably isn't-"_

" _Please? I'm just asking for a kiss, please Cochise?" Josh begged, using Chris' pet name._

 _Chris could hardly refuse when Josh had those big puppy eyes and used his pet name. It was only a few seconds of delay before Chris gave in and leaned in to capture Josh's lips in a kiss. The other male eagerly responded, holding on to Chris as if his life depended on it. Finally after a few minutes Josh broke them apart and Chris was amazed to see just a hint of a smile playing on his lover's lips._

" _Better?" Chris asked._

" _Much, thank you" Josh replied, looking much calmer now, "you'll always be my anchor."_

" _I'll make sure you never loose your way" Chris agreed._

 _End Flashback_

Chris was so lost in thought he hadn't even heard someone come in until his glasses were moved and eyes covered.

"Guess who" a familiar voice whispered in his ear.

"Hmmm… The Kool Aid Man" Chris said, unable to stop the smile on his face.

"OOOH YEAH!" Josh exclaimed, mimicking the deep character's voice.

Chris laughed as his eyes were uncovered and lips came to kiss his own. It was only a small peck that lasted for a moment, but it was still wonderful. Josh came and plopped down next to his boyfriend who eagerly snuggled up to him.

"So how did it go with the doctor?" Chris asked, grateful that Josh didn't stiffen from the question.

"Good, Dr. Hill is a little weird though. He keeps asking me strange questions" Josh replied.

"Did you tell him about the medication trouble?"

Josh had started having outbursts ever since the cabin. He would have moments where he would just speak nonsense and it would be hard to snap out of. The doctor Josh was seeing for therapy was attempting to find a good medicine to help him. The first one had given Josh a rash, which is what he told the doctor today.

"Yeah, he gave me the prescription for new ones, but the pharmacy won't have it in stock for a few days" Josh said nervously.

Chris thought for a moment before getting an idea, "why don't you stay here until you can get them?"

"What really?"

"Sure, I mean I know how to help you when you are having an episode. Plus we are on summer break now so I can take care of you all day if need be."

"That would be awesome, thanks man."

"That's what I'm here for. Me, your super awesome and supportive boyfriend"

Josh laughed, "you left out sexy"

The comment made Chris blush slightly, only making him look cuter. Josh pulled the blonde closer to him and snuggled into him. These next few days wouldn't be as bad with his boyfriend at his side keeping him grounded.

 **Oh something I forgot to tell you guys before the image I'm using for my cover, the art isn't mine. I did edit it a bit to add the colors and other effects to it. I'm not sure who the original artist is, but I love this picture, it is done so beautifully.**

 **So don't expect me to let you guys make a choice right off the bat. It will be a few chapters before we get to the decisions. Just keep an eye out at the end of each chapter to see when the voting for which story will start.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Josh started to feel himself slip after the first day of no meds. But every time he seemed to be slipping Chris was right there, making it all better. Josh always had found the blonde's presence comforting, even back when they weren't dating. Josh could still remember the day he had finally asked Chris out.

 _Flashback_

" _Hey Cochise"_

" _Hm?" Chris mumbled, eyes focused up on the game they were playing._

" _How come you lost interest in Ashley?" Josh asked, mentally slapping himself. He had meant to ask a less suspicious question._

 _Chris paused the game to ponder, "I don't know, I just don't really think of her as anything more than a friend."_

" _So is there someone else you like?" Josh questioned, glad that Chris was very easy going about this._

" _Haven't really thought about it, but honestly I have noticed my interest in girls is just not the same anymore."_

 _Josh perked up a bit at that. There might still be hope for him yet. Now all he needed to do was gather the courage to ask, which would take awhile._

" _What about you? Sam seems to be talking to you a lot lately" Chris asked._

" _Sam? Oh no, she and I have always been just friends. Never even noticed if she was attracted to me" Josh dismissed._

" _Oh" was Chris' only reply as he unpaused the game._

 _It was silent for a few moments before Josh spoke again, "so then who do you find attractive?"_

" _What?"_

" _If you don't like Ashley anymore there must have been someone that caught your eye" Josh stated, he was really being bold with his questions but his curiosity was just too great to ignore._

 _Chris refused to look at him as he replied, "no not really."_

" _Oh come on man since when do you keep secrets from me?"_

" _I'm not" Chris said, his cheeks getting a touch redder._

 _Then Josh suddenly got an idea, an idea that was impossible and made his heart skip a beat at the very thought._

 _He found the words leaving his mouth before he could stop them, "is it me?"_

 _Chris looked taken aback, "w-what?"_

" _Am I the distraction?" Josh asked again, daring to inch closer._

" _No t-that's…" Chris stuttered, too flustered to form a proper sentence._

" _You sure it's not me?" Josh pressed, getting closer until their foreheads were almost touching._

 _Chris became tenser the closer Josh came to him. His breathing quickening slightly as he watched out of the corner of his eye, not daring to look up._

 _Josh, having more confidence now, moved his head so he could whisper in Chris' ear, "you might say no but your body says differently."_

 _As Josh slowly pulled back blue eyes finally met with green ones and at that moment everything seemed to freeze frame. Both sat gazing at one another for who knows how long. And then suddenly there was no more room between them. Neither was really sure who finally closed the gap, all that mattered now was the kiss. The kiss felt how every cheesy fairytale book described it._

 _Their lips fit together seamlessly and moved as if they were one. Josh dared to dart his tongue forward, prodding Chris' lips in a silent request. Moments later Chris let his mouth open and Josh took the chance to slip inside. Their kisses got more passionate as their tongues started to battle for dominance. Neither was sure how long they remained like that, just enjoying the moment. But finally it was the need for oxygen that broke them apart. Silence fell over the pair again as they stared at each other, their breathing slightly labored._

" _So…you wanna go out?" Josh asked after a moment._

 _Chris, still too flustered to speak merely nodded, flashing his usual dorky grin. Josh couldn't help smiling back, the whole thing had gone better than he could have imagined._

 _End Flashback_

A hand coming to intertwine with his finally brought Josh out of his thoughts.

"Come back to me" Chris whispered in his ear.

Josh merely mumbled in response, turning his head to look at his lover.

"What are you thinking about?" Chris asked.

"Us" Josh replied, "about when I asked you out."

Chris smiled, "I was so nervous that day."

"I'm glad I asked" Josh said, snuggling into Chris.

Josh let his eyes close, relaxing into his boyfriend. After a moment or two he felt a hand pressed against his forehead.

"You have a bit of a fever" Chris said, making to get the thermometer off the table.

"I feel fine" Josh protested, but opened his mouth for the thermometer nonetheless.

"The doctor said we had to monitor your temperature" Chris insisted.

They were silent for a few moments while the numbers flipped around. Finally there was a small beep and Chris removed it to examine the little screen.

"99.6, you have a small fever, nothing serious though."

"Told you I'm fine."

Chris noticed that Josh curled up to him more, feeling his body shivering slightly.

"Are you cold?" Chris asked.

Josh shook his head, "just another side affect of withdrawal. I'm hoping that there won't be anything too major."

"I'm here, no matter what happens. I promised to be your anchor" Chris reassured.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*UNTIL DAWN~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After four days Josh's psychosis started to appear more in little episodes that didn't last very long. Chris learned to handle each episode, realizing it was easier to go along with Josh's rambles until he was back to himself. The nightmares he had were a bit more of a challenge. It sometimes took Chris hours to calm him down. Luckily Chris was a light sleeper and was able to recognize the signs of a nightmare.

Chris woke up to quiet mumbling. He turned to see Josh mumbling in his sleep, his face still untroubled. But that peaceful look only lasted a moment before Josh was mumbling more and starting to shift around. This is when Chris stepped in and attempted to wake him up. It depended on how deep the nightmare was for how long it took to wake him.

Luckily tonight seemed to be a light night as it only took Josh a few moments to open his eyes. When he did he sprung up, looking around confused, it took a few moments for the nightmare to clear his mind. When it did his eyes would search for Chris and cling to him. Chris had become used to this and would often whisper gentle things to Josh to help him calm down.

"It's ok, I've got you" Chris whispered, running his fingers through the other male's dark hair.

It seemed easier every time to calm Josh down, what used to take hours was starting to reduce to about 20 or 30 minutes. Slowly Josh relaxed more and more, his grip loosening and his breathing going back to normal.

"Chris" Josh whimpered after a few moments of silence.

"I'm here" came Chris' reply.

"I can't take much more of this."

"It won't be much longer until you get your new meds" Chris reassured, hoping for Josh's sake that was true.

A day later there finally was a call for the new meds. And for a time Josh was able to feel like himself again. That was before he started to take matters into his own hands.

 **So if I confused anyone just now with Josh's mental state allow me to explain. In the game if Sam doesn't get captured by the psycho you can find a lot of clues on who the psycho is. One of those clues is doctor reports on Josh's medication. As best anyone can tell Josh seems to be suffering from a mental condition called Psychosis, which is what I have in my story. Also I wanted to make something else clear. If you have not played the game all the way through I recommend you stop reading this story right now because I'm not going to hold back with the spoilers. I am writing with the assumption that everyone reading this has played or at least watched the whole game and therefore nothing will be spoiled. The choice chapters will be coming soon I promise. Please review in the mean time and let me know how you guys are liking it so far.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Only a few weeks into the new meds Chris started to notice a change in his boyfriend. Josh began to get more agitated and distant. Chris wasn't really sure what to do and Josh's parents were at a loss as well. Chris tried giving Josh his space for a bit to see if it would help. But the more time Josh had to himself, the more his darker thoughts began to take over. All without Chris even realizing it.

A week of silence between them had passed and finally Chris couldn't take it anymore. He headed over to Josh's house and entered using the spare key Mrs. Washington gave him. He called out Josh's name, but got no response. Not that he was surprised since lately Josh spent hours locked in his room.

However when Chris came up to the bedroom the door was open and the room was empty. Chris started to get concerned. He knew Josh was here because his car was parked in the driveway. And it was unusual for Josh to leave his room.

Chris turned and made his way to the bathroom just down the hall. But as he walked he got this eerie sensation that unnerved him. He wasn't sure what was causing it until he was finally at the bathroom door peering in. What he saw made his blood run cold.

There in the bathroom lay Josh, completely unconscious and deathly pale. His whole body was tense, the muscles contracted tightly under his skin. There was some blood coming from both a gash in his head and some dripping out of his nose. On the counter sat an empty pill bottle of the new meds Josh had been taking.

Chris came to the horrible realization of what had happened within seconds and after a few moments Chris felt the adrenaline kick in. He knelt down beside his lover, shaking him. Josh's skin was covered in swear and cool to the touch.

"Josh!" Chris shouted, shaking him in a feeble attempt to wake him up.

Chris was in full panic mode by now. He was hardly able to process anything, his mind denying what his eyes clearly knew. His hand shook so badly it was a challenge to get his cell phone out and dial the number, but somehow he managed it. Each ring he heard felt like an eternity until finally someone picked up.

"911 what is your emergency?" came the voice from the other end.

"Um- I n-need help. My friend is passed out a-and bleeding" Chris stammered, desperately struggling to keep his voice from shaking.

"Ok do you know what caused your friend to pass out?" the operator asked.

"H-he o-overdosed on his m-medication. I'm pretty sure. There's a b-bottle that's empty on the c-counter."

"Where is he bleeding?"

"H-his nose a-and head, there's a c-cut on his head."

"Alright, can you tell me where you are?"

Chris gave the address and the operator informed him they had sent an ambulance. Chris held onto Josh for dear life, tears now freely flowing down his cheeks. He wished this was some horrible nightmare, but no matter how much he hoped nothing changed. He tried to focus on keeping calm as he talked with the operator. It wasn't long until he heard the sirens outside. Chris stayed where he was, knowing the door was unlocked.

When he heard the paramedics enter the house he called out, "we're up here!"

In a flash there were people in the bathroom bending down and starting the examination. They began firing off questions that Chris had trouble processing. He answered them as best he could, watching as the EMTs swirled around his lover. So many panicked thoughts were running through his head right now and after awhile it was hard to separate one thought from another.

"Hey kid!" a shout from the paramedic finally caught Chris' attention, "we are taking him in the ambulance are you coming with us?"

Chris nodded and followed the paramedics as they hurried out of the house and into the ambulance. He was silent for a while, taking one of Josh's hands into his own, not caring what the people around him would think.

"Is it bad?" Chris dared to finally ask.

"How old did you say your friend is?" one of them asked.

"Nineteen, almost twenty now" Chris replied.

"He is young so there is a strong chance he will pull through, but you also need to know that his bloody nose was most likely from some blood vessels in his brain popping. We can't tell how bad it is yet."

Chris felt a huge wave of guilt. He had been too late again. When they were younger Josh had these bullies that used to push him around until one day they actually hit him. Chris had been too late to help Josh out, by the time he found his friend he was beaten up pretty good. Those same bullies followed Josh all the way into high school. And each time it happened Chris was always too late. He feared one day there would be no saving Josh, he would just be gone. Chris hoped this wouldn't be the case now, he couldn't loose Josh. Josh was his best friend as well as his lover.

Chris had been so deep in thought that he didn't even realize they arrived until the doors were opened. Chris hopped out with the others and followed them until a nurse stopped him.

"My friend hates hospitals, they need to know that in case he wakes up. I know how to calm him down" Chris said.

The nursed nodded and went through the doors, leaving Chris to sit and wait.

"Please, please don't take Josh away from me" he whispered, fresh tears springing to his eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~UNTIL DAWN~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chris had called both of Josh's parents and they came to wait with him. He somehow managed to tell them everything he had seen without breaking down completely.

"Thank you for being there Chris, it might have been too late if you hadn't come when you did."

But for Chris he had already come too late. Even if Josh lived through this he would still have brain damage. Chris couldn't get over that guilt, he shouldn't have left Josh alone for a week. Josh didn't have his anchor at his side and his illness was able to drive him off the deep end. When Josh's mental state started getting worse when they were in high school Chris had made a promise, a promise he had now broken.

 _Flashback_

" _You shouldn't be with me" Josh said._

" _What is that suppose to mean?" Chris questioned._

" _Look at me Chris! I'm loosing my fucking mind, you shouldn't have to deal with this. You should be with someone who isn't insane" Josh said, his voice low and discouraged._

" _Josh" Chris spoke, kneeling down in front of the other teen, "I've been your friend ever since you first realized you had psychosis. And now I've willingly agreed to be your boyfriend."_

" _But-" Josh began, but Chris cut him off._

" _No! I'm not about to leave you because the waves are getting rougher. I agreed to date you because I care about you, I'm your anchor remember? You've always told me I'm your anchor and I always will be."_

 _Josh finally raised his head, unshed tears shinning in his forest green eyes, "promise?"_

 _Chris took Josh's hands in his own, staring right into those big pleading eyes as he spoke, "I swear to you, Josh Washington, that no matter what happens I will always be there for you to anchor you down."_

 _Josh smiled, no longer frightened of having to be without his lover, "I love you Chris."_

" _I love you too Josh, with all my heart."_

 _End flashback_

"Chris Anders?" came a voice that snapped Chris out of his thoughts.

"That's me" Chris replied, standing up to greet the doctor that called his name.

"You were the one to bring Mr. Washington in correct?"

"Yes, how is he?"

"Why don't you sit down, we have a lot to go over."

 **So this whole situation that happened here is something else that the game referenced. In the doctor reports one of the medications says that the patient began to self medicate. There are also hints that Josh attempted suicide after Hannah and Beth disappeared. So this chapter is my take on what happened.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **So got some exciting news for you guys. The first choice for people to make is at the end of this chapter. Now that doesn't mean you can just scroll through the chapter without reading it to get to the end. That means you, yeah I see you scrolling to the bottom.**

"Let me just start from the top. Josh will be fine, but there will be some consequences from the overdose. He has several blood vessels that were damaged and because of that there will be minor damage to the brain. Mostly it's damage to the mental state and emotions of the brain, but those should only be minor changes. I would like to speak with the Washingtons about the medication, you may go see Josh, Mr. Anders. His room is the third door on the left."

Chris just numbly nodded and got up. Every word the doctor spoke felt like a nail being hammered into his flesh. Chris knew this was all his fault. He couldn't help picturing Josh's hurt face when he realized Chris had broken his promise. Chris felt tears sliding down his cheek yet again as the guilt continued eating away at him. He felt even worse seeing Josh in the bed with a bandage around his head.

"I'm sorry" Chris found himself saying over and over again, his legs giving out just as he got to the bed.

"Chris?" came a mumble from Josh.

Chris' head shot up, gazing at the brunette who was still asleep, but had clearly mumbled his name. Chris came closer, taking one of Josh's chilled hands in his.

"I'm here" Chris said softly.

Chris remained where he was for hours, refusing to leave his lover until he woke up. He was just starting to doze off when he felt Josh's hand twitch.

"Josh?" Chris whispered, getting up from his seat to watch as green eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Chris?" Josh asked, his voice sounding a little hoarse.

"Hey, good to see your eyes again" Chris said, smiling gently.

"Where am I?" Josh asked as he gazed around.

"Hospital, I got you here after I found you" Chris explained.

"Why?"

That caught Chris off guard, "because you could have died."

"You didn't need to save me. It would have been better if you hadn't."

Chris stared at him in shock, "how can you say that?"

"Because I'm alone. Everyone I was close to left me" Josh stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I didn't leave you" Chris said, attempting to keep his voice from shaking.

"It feels like you did."

"I know, I broke my promise and I'm very sorry" Chris said, looking ashamed.

"You're all I have left."

"I know, and if you hate me I understand. But I want a second chance because I can't loose you. You're everything to me."

"And you're my anchor" Josh said softly, getting Chris to look up at him, "you swore to me you would be."

"And I will be, I promise things will be different now, I'm not betraying you again" Chris swore.

"Then stay with me, I need my anchor" Josh said.

Chris felt relieved to hear those words. Josh didn't hate him, he still cared for him. And Chris knew he would be holding up his promise, he would not hurt his lover ever again. Chris leaned in closer, capturing Josh's lips in a gentle, apologetic, kiss. The brunette kissed back with no hesitation, being as gentle as Chris was.

"I love you Josh" Chris said after he ended the kiss.

"I love you too Chris" Josh replied.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*UNTIL DAWN*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After several nights of observation Josh was finally allowed to go home. Chris spent all day with him, helping out with whatever was needed. Sometime in the afternoon the doorbell rang and a knock on Josh's room door soon followed.

"Come in" Josh said, not bothering to move from his snuggled up position he was in with Chris.

The door opened and Dr. Hill entered. Josh was surprised to see him here, he didn't know the doctor made house calls.

"Joshua, I need to speak with you, alone" Dr. Hill said.

"No, Chris stays here" Josh said firmly, holding tight to the blonde.

Dr. Hill sighed and hesitantly continued, "very well. Your parents are concerned about you. After what has happened I suggested we bring you into a clinic and have you stay there for a time to get some therapy."

Josh's expression turned dark and Chris prepared for what he knew was coming, "you want to lock me up in a crazy house now? I'm not crazy!"

"Joshua, it's not like that-" Dr. Hill started.

"Yes it is! You think I'm insane so you want to lock me in some padded cell and call it helping me!"

"Josh, it's nothing like that. This clinic would be helping you to deal with your condition" Dr. Hill tried to explain.

"No they wouldn't! They would just call me crazy like everyone else does, I'm not crazy!" Josh shouted, voice breaking.

Chris wrapped his arms around Josh, making the other male relax into the touch instantly. He curled up into Chris repeating in a softer voice, "I'm not crazy."

"Of course you're not babe" Chris reassured.

"I'm not crazy" Josh repeated.

"Shhh, it's ok" Chris soothed, placing gentle kisses on Josh's forehead to calm him.

Dr. Hill looked very frustrated and at a loss. The room was silent apart from the occasional mumble from Josh and a few soft whispers from Chris.

"Dr. Hill, you should know I've been doing things to help Josh ever since the incident. I can help him, he doesn't have to go to a clinic."

"That's a lot of responsibility Christopher. You would have to watch him all the time."

"Fine, I'll do it. I'll take Josh to my apartment, he can live with me and I'll care for him" Chris said, his eyes locked with Dr. Hill's, unwavering.

"We will need permission from the Washingtons in order for you to become his care taker" Dr. Hill stated.

"He has it" came a voice as Mrs. Washington appeared in the doorway, "you've always been a good influence on Josh. I know how much he means to you and I know he is in good hands with you Chris. Just promise me you will take care of my baby."

"I promise Mrs. Washington" Chris swore.

"Good, then I will let you take responsibility for him."

"Alright, I need Joshua to come in some time this week to talk about new meds and you'll need to come too Chris" Dr. Hill said.

Chris nodded, looking down to Josh. His lover's gaze reached far beyond the room. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Josh would often space out, but Chris was able to bring him back every time.

"Josh?" Chris whispered.

"Hm?" Josh mumbled, his mind snapping back to reality.

"Did you hear what we've been talking about?" Chris asked gently.

Josh shook his head, "no, sorry."

"It's ok, Dr. Hill has agreed to let me take care of you."

"So no having to go to a clinic?" Josh asked.

"That's right, but you'll need to put up with my fussing."

"I can live with that."

"Good, why don't we pack up your things and go put them in my car."

"Ok" Josh said, finally sitting up and moving towards his dresser.

Chris was thankful he had a truck. All of Josh's belongings fit pretty well. Most of the big furniture was left behind since there was no use for them. Josh said goodbye to his parents and headed out with Chris.

"I can't believe you got Dr. Hill to agree to let you care for me" Josh said as they drove.

"I know your parents are too busy to care for you 24/7 and we are on summer break from college anyways so I'm the best option."

"Thank you, really, I don't know what I would have done if I was forced to go to that clinic."

"I wouldn't have let them take you" Chris replied, "not when I could do something about it."

Josh actually smiled at that, the first genuine smile Chris had seen in a long time. It made the blonde feel good to know he could still make his best friend smile.

"Hey since this whole thing is like a sleepover can we order pizza?" Josh asked.

Chris laughed at his excitement, "sure buddy, pizza sounds pretty good to me too."

 **Ok decision time! So here are the options I'm not going to give you much for them since the game never does either you just have to pick and see what happens. Does Josh want to go back to the cabin at the mark of the disappearance of his sister or does he decide not to? Vote what you would like to see and when I get enough votes I will be posting the one that got the most. A reminder on how to vote you do that by either reviewing this chapter or sending me a pm with your choice.**


End file.
